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| Sunday, 4 August 2002 |
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Business |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Education and business Biz Buzz by Iris & Aved For better quality personnel in the business world of tomorrow, schools and higher educational institutions should provide the groundwork for training beginning at school level. For businesses to thrive, it requires trained hands, know how, research and development, innovation, team work, good organization and leadership. Many of these are skills to be gained by the employees on the training imparted by schools and universities. Since the schools take-over in 1962, except for St. Thomas' and three other missionary schools, all schools were run by the Government. With the liberal policies of the Government that took office in 1977, "international schools" to prepare students for overseas examinations were given the green light to operate. "International schools" have grown in popularity and many of them have contributed to the education system of this country. Sceptics argue that these are commercial ventures driven by a profit motive, are affordable only to the upper income strata and that this widens the gap between the rich and the poor. University education had remained the monopoly of the State. But, as with schools, foreign universities have established training and examination centres to allow students to pursue graduate studies, not by special State sanction but by clever maneouvering within the system. Once again, these institutions, including the pioneer in the field, Informatics Institute of Computer Studies, have grown in popularity and stature and have filled at least a part of the appetite of our youth (albeit only those who could afford the fees) for University education. It is pertinent to ask whether schools and universities and institutions owned, managed and funded by the State meet the requirements of the job market. The present system does produce doctors, engineers, lawyers, architects, accountants and other professionals in adequate numbers. But it also produces hordes of unemployable graduates. Under the existing system, student unrest is rife in the Universities. Only 15% of those who qualify to enter Universities can be admitted for graduate studies and only 2% of the children entering schools can expect to gain admission to Universities. Turning to business the education system does not meet the demands of the job market. Several public spirited citizens groups, including the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce which conducted the National Education Conference in May this year, have called for the liberalization, but not the privatization of University education. The call for liberalization of the schools system is not so vociferous perhaps, because adequate numbers gain admission to the popular schools and schools like Royal and Visakha outpace the few schools under "private" ownership and management. The proponents of liberalization propose models like St. Thomas' College (STC) for schools and the Institute of Chartered Accountants (ICA) or the Institute of Chemistry for higher education outside State control. They advocate voluntary or mandatory scholarships to deserving students in the Universities outside the State system. They dream of a Harvard or Yale to emerge from these new Universities they clamour for. The sceptics argue that education should not be for sale, education should not be driven by profit, opportunities for higher education in particular should be equal to all (even if it takes only 15% of those who qualify and 2% of those who enter schools) and that not everyone can afford the fees levied by non-State sector educational institutions. They tend to ignore, or are unaware that STC and ICA are not driven by profit, they are affordable to many, though not to every student (or his parents), and that they provide quality education and produce young people who are not only employable, but are in demand. The youth of Sri Lanka should not be denied the opportunity to obtain quality education. High spirited citizens should not be withheld from forming associations, trusts or other legal entities to launch institutions of learning. The State schools and more so, the Universities should not be allowed to get lethargic or complacent due to the lack of competition. A liberalized education system will need checks and balances like a liberalized industry. The State may need to establish a regulatory mechanism to ensure that students are not exploited and to regulate the industry of education. But the system should not be over-regulated. For schools, the pre-1962 model, when a large number of missionary schools like STC, St. Joseph's and Trinity and schools managed by the Buddhist Theosophical Society (BTS) like Ananda, Visakha and Mahinda rose to prominence and great heights, may be the most appropriate. A liberal system of education will, with time enrich the nation with graduates, scholars, visionaries and leaders who would be able to improve the quality of life of the people of Sri Lanka |
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